In normal times it’s no surprise that big things happen in Texas, the second most populous state in the union. As we take a look back on some of the momentous masked ribbon-cuttings that occurred against all odds in this year’s pandemic-stricken central United States, it’s heartening to find that the Lone Star state still loomed large.
What’s doubly heartening is how it turned out also to be true for the nation’s 34th most populous state, Arkansas, from which an equal number of headlines are drawn in our year-end roundup of quality-driven new coffee shops.